


Those Unforgettable Days

by Awseomness



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender, 機動戦艦ナデシコ | Martian Successor Nadesico
Genre: F/F, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Just straight up Nadesico with Voltron characters, Real Robot, Space Opera, Trans Female Pidge | Katie Holt, further tags as the story develops, golion references, self indulgent bullshit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:08:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29689971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Awseomness/pseuds/Awseomness
Summary: In a war between the people of Earth and a mysterious alien menace dubbed "the Jovian Lizards", the people of the Martian colonies have been written off as a lost cause. The private company Nergal Heavy Industries puts together a good will mission to rescue any survivors still remaining on the Mars. With a top of the line warship, the Nadesico, and a crew made up of highly skilled, if dubiously temperamented individuals, Captain Allura Altea leads this rescue mission.Former martian colonists - and childhood friend of Allura - turned down-on-her-luck fry cook finds herself on this mission by accident as she investigates what happened on Mars, and what happened to her family.
Relationships: Allura/Pidge | Katie Holt
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	1. Prologue

Pidge pushed her way through the crowd of people, holding tight to the girl's hand. Too many people trying to force themselves into the shelter at once. It was big enough to fit everyone, but with the battle happening right above their heads, people were in a panic.

Pidge tugged the little girl closer, trying to keep her from getting trampled. "Come on, Honey. Stick close."

"Is Mommy in there?" She asks, jostled by an older man.

Pidge wrapped her arms around her. "If she's not, she will be soon. We'll find her, don't worry."

Above the Martian sky, Sanda clenched her fist and glared at the viewscreen of her bridge. She watched impotently as the greatest of Earth weaponry bounced harmlessly off some invisible shield surrounding the enemy.

"Some sort of distortion field." She muttered through her teeth. Louder, to the crew, she said, "We cannot let that thing reach the Martian surface!"

The shiny black object, the carrier for the smaller, insectoid machines, loomed large onscreen. If it touched down, Mars was as good as lost.

"But Ma'am, our weapons have no effect!" Her tech spoke up.

"I know." The dread curled in her stomach. There was only one thing left to try, and if it didn't work the Utopia Colony would be nothing but a crater. "Set us on a collision course and abandon ship. We're gonna ram it!"

"Thank you so much, Katie!" Honey's mother wrapped her arms tight around her precious daughter. "I can always count on you to look after her."

"It was nothing." Pidge smiled at her. She'd been Honey's babysitter for a little over a year now. She and her mother were practically family.

There was a sound from somewhere above. The shelter vibrated and the lights flickered, but it didn't cave in. They were recent, as the construction vehicles still inside made evident, but they were strong.

"How long are we gonna have to stay down here?" Honey asked.

"You kidding, kid?" A teenage boy answered. "Sounds like everything on the surface has been flattened. We probably have to live down here."

Pidge shot the boy a glare, then gave Honey a softer look. "Don't listen to him. We just need to hang tight until they send someone to rescue us. We'll be out before you know it."

Honey clung tight to Pidge's shirt until the older girl pulled out a small clementine which she peeled and separated. That cheered Honey up a little, which was nice. It was Pidge's last Earth-grown fruit, bought at a premium from the supply ship a few days ago, and depending on how long they were going to be down here, possibly the best tasting thing either of them would get for a while.

There was a sickening bang.

Springing to her feet on instinct, putting herself between the sound and the mother and child, Pidge looked to the entrance of the shelter. The big metal doors looked like they could hold back a freight train. So it was terrifying to watch them slowly groan open, forced by some black, metal appendage that looked and moved for all the world like an insect's leg.

Recognition spread through the crowd like a wave, refugees standing, slowly at first, then much quicker, moving toward the deeper levels of the shelter. Pidge looked to Honey and her mother. "You two get going."

"What are you going to do?" The mother asked.

A second leg worked its way into the gap and the two pried the doors open further. A set of red eyes, at least five altogether, glowed menacingly on the other side. Pidge scanned the room for anything she could use, and her eyes settled on one of the construction vehicles designed to carry heavy equipment, like a dire forklift.

"I'm gonna buy you some time. Now go!"

"Katie!" Honey cried as her mother lifted her off the ground and ran with the crowd.

Pidge ran for the vehicle and pressed her right hand to the control sphere. The Imaging System mark on her hand glowed with a faint, shifting light as the nanomachines in her body connected her to the construction machine.

Not a second too soon. Just as her mind made the connection, the invading machine forced its way into the shelter. The insect comparison was apt, to a degree. A segmented, yellow body, four multi-segmented legs, and a face of glowing spider eyes that took in every detail at once. The whole thing was about the size of a minivan, and Pidge had never seen anything like it in her life.

She gunned the throttle and sent the vehicle careening into the intruder. The first impact shook her body but the second, when the vehicle smashed the invader into the shelter wall, rattled her bones.

"You stinking metal son of a bitch!" Adrenaline demanded an outlet and trash talking the metal monster seemed to be her best option. Especially as its metal legs kept flailing, trying to knock Pidge loose. "I'll teach you to invade my planet! Take this!"

She pushed the squealing tires forward, even as they smoked against the shelter floor. Slowly, it moved forward, pressing further into the thing's abdomen, until it stiffened with a crunch and finally went limp. The lights in the red eyes went dim.

Pidge killed the throttle and breathed. Sweat trickled on her brow and her hands were shaking, but the thing was dead. She turned to glance behind her.

There was another machine.

No, not just one, several.

Coming from the direction the refugees had gone. They must have found another way in.

Eyes wide, Pidge looked past them.

There was blood on the ground. And bodies.

She saw Honey's mother. Twisted and mangled, trampled under mechanical feet.

By some cosmic mercy, she couldn't see Honey.

Pidge trembled. She screamed.

Then the whole world went white.


	2. To Go Like a Lion

Pidge tried to still her shaking hands, tried to calm her racing heart. But another explosion overhead made her jump. She tried to focus on the stir fry in front of her, cooking usually helped ground her.

But not this time.

She saw them again. The machines, what the Earth Federation had dubbed the "Jovian Lizards." The bodies. She still smelled the blood.

She wasn't on Mars. She tried to remind herself of that. She was in a kitchen, in Sal's restaurant, cooking food for the lunch crowd. She focused on the sizzling of her stir fry, and on the voices she could hear.

"When's the UEAF gonna realize they can't fight the Jovians? They've been at this for a year."

Someone said something else, but another explosion above sent her right back to the shelter. To those eyes. Those red, mechanical eyes, standing among the dead bodies. Friends, neighbors. People.

She screamed.

The smell of her stir fry burning hit her nose. On instinct, she cursed and turned the fire off. There's something grounding about burning food.

Only then did she become aware of the customers staring at her through the window to the kitchen. A couple of them were whispering to Sal who just… watched her with a sad expression.

His eyes drifted down to the EIS marking on her hand.

She scowled.

"Project Schiaparelli." Kolivan's skepticism carried, even in his usual monotone. "This is a hell of a time for a private company to be fielding an independent warship."

"Now now, my man," the "Prospector" for the project, a tall, redheaded man with an orange mustache, wrapped an overly familiar arm around the larger man's shoulder. "This is a good-will project. Rescuing civilians and non-combatants that the Federation has left behind."

"And the fact that Nergal still has assets on Mars is a coincidence?"

"Well, we do have to protect our interests." The Chairman remarked. "And it looks better to the shareholders if we can claim some kind of benefit to the company."

"But, the fact remains that the Federation had abandoned Mars." The Prospector pointed out. "If there are any survivors, Schiaparelli is their only hope."

"Perhaps." Kolivan nodded.

"And we could use a man like you on the project. Your military experience, as well as your cool head under pressure, would make you an excellent asset to the crew." He punched a few numbers into his calculator. "And as for your proposed salary…"

Kolivan glanced at the calculator screen. His eyebrow quirked up almost imperceptibly.

"And yes," the Prospector grinned, "that's after taxes."

Kolivan blinked, then sighed. "Very well. Though I'm unclear what my actual role will be."

The Prospector tugged at his mustache. "Your official duty will be head of security, though you'll also be asked to maintain order and discipline aboard the ship. Due to the lack of available staff with military training, the crew will be made up mostly of civilians."

Kolivan glanced at the Chairman. "You must be pretty brave to put a top-of-the-line warship in the hands of civilians."

"Not to worry." The Chairman shrugged. "Barring a few personality defects, the crew we've assembled is the best of the best. They'll be up to the challenge."

"Personality defects?"

"I prefer to think of them as fun quirks!" The Prospector piped up.

Somehow, that didn't surprise Kolivan.

"And you won't be the only person with a military background onboard. We have a former Federation admiral in an advisory role, and the captain, while fresh, was the finest cadet the academy had ever produced."

"And who exactly is this captain?"

"Allura, aren't you done in there yet?"

"Just a second, James. I'm almost done."

James Griffin leaned against the wall just outside of Allura's room and sighed. He couldn't shake a nervous feeling that had been following him all day. Maybe just leftover regrets over refusing his commission and joining up with a civilian crew.

But then, Admiral Altea had asked him to watch over his daughter. And he couldn't imagine leaving Allura's side. Not after all they'd been through together.

Allura stepped through the door, wearing her new uniform. She looked radiant. Dark skin, silver hair, white capelet that caught the wind when she moved. She twisted in place a bit.

"The heels are a bit impractical, aren't they?" She asked. The way she turned emphasized her tight-covered legs under the business-like miniskirt. "I'd rather be wearing boots."

"You're going to be on the bridge of a ship, not running through combat zones." James pointed out, hiding his blush. "Image is more important than practical considerations in your case."

"You aren't wrong." She conceded. "Well then, we should-"

She stopped when she saw the admiral approaching. James stiffened to attention on instinct, but Allura only smiled and moved to embrace her father.

Admiral Alfor Altea was an imposing man in the war room, but with his daughter his serious demeanor melted. If James ever suspected he was disappointed that his daughter chose not to enter the military right out of the academy it would not be because of any outward sign the admiral gave.

"My little girl is a woman now." He said as the hug broke. "I'm so proud of you."

"You taught me everything I know, father." Allura squeezed him one last time for good measure. "I won't let you down."

Alfor nodded, then glanced in James' direction. "At ease, Griffin. You aren't military, remember?"

James let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and chuckled nervously. "Right. Civilian pilot on a civilian ship. My chain of command stops with her."

"Um, father, since you're here…"

"Yes, darling? What is it?"

"Could you help James and I get my luggage into the car?" She clapped her hands together in a pleading gesture. "I've paired it down as far as I possibly can, but there's still a bit more than the two of us can carry."

Sal pushed Pidge's salary card across the table with a sad sigh. "I put two weeks' severance pay on your card."

"You're firing me." Pidge dug her nails into her palms.

"I don't want to. Fact is you've come a long way since I first hired you. But…" he looked down at her hand. "The restaurant's struggling as it is and with the attacks from the Lizards picking up people don't want to eat at a place with a yellow pilot working there."

"I'm not-!" She covered her hand and grit her teeth. "I was never military. I'm not some deserter. And this job… it's the only thing I have."

"I know, Katie. And I'm sorry." Sal rubbed the back of his neck. "But I have to think about my family. If people stop coming to the restaurant, I can't help them or you."

Pidge closed her eyes tight. She took the salary card from the table and slowly got to her feet. "Thanks for everything, Sal. No hard feelings."

On her way out the door, she grabbed her backpack. For the past year, her whole life fit in one bag. It was kinda sad, honestly.

Sal followed her outside. "If you need a reference, I'm available. And I'll keep my ear out for opportunities for ya."

Pidge just nodded and took off on her bike.

She didn't get a minute away before her frustration got the better of her and she started cussing.

"Son of a bitch!" She shouted into the temperate night air. "What am I supposed to do now?! I have no job, no friends, no prospects, am I just supposed to die on the street? Is that what you want from me, world?! It's not my fault I freak out when fighting happens, my body just reacts on its own!"

Her feet pushed the pedals of her bike faster as she raged down the street heading nowhere. A vehicle, a limousine from the look of it, cut in front of her way too fast, forcing her to brake suddenly with a curse. She managed to keep her bike from wiping out, but just barely.

"Hey! Watch where you're going you asshole!"

As she shouted, the limo went over a bump and the trunk, overstuffed already, flew open. A suitcase fell out the back, flying through the air and striking Pidge right in her face, opening wide at the impact. She fell to her ass in a pile of nightgowns and frilly underthings.

The limo came to a stop and a door opened, though Pidge was too busy extricating herself from her situation to see who had exited until she was already standing over her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, are you alright?" The woman asked. She had a pleasant, if posh, accent and, when Pidge finally looked up at her, was decidedly beautiful. If Pidge were capable of any feeling beyond frustration in that moment, she might have found herself entranced. "We were in a hurry and we didn't see you. Are you hurt at all?"

Damn it. And she was so apologetic about the whole thing that Pidge couldn't even bring herself to go off on her. "I'm fine." She sighed. "Just be more careful next time…"

Pidge pulled the open suitcase toward her and started folding the clothes around her to put them back. As she did, another figure exited the limo, a man this time. "Are they okay?" He called.

"She says she's alright, James." The woman called back to him. Only when there were two of them did Pidge realize they were wearing some kind of uniform. "Can you get the other suitcases back in the trunk?"

The man, James, looked at the other luggage which, mercifully, had not opened when they fell out. "I'll try."

The woman nodded, then turned back to Pidge and grabbed some of the clothing herself. "Thank you so much for helping me, I really appreciate it. I hope we can find everything, I had precious things in that suitcase and I'd hate to lose them."

"Yeah, yeah. It's whatever." Pidge waved it off. "Besides it's pretty clear you suck at packing?"

"Oh?"

"Yeah. You need to consolidate the fragile things toward the middle and surround them with the clothes." She demonstrated, moving a picture frame and a folded nightgown. She reached for another piece of clothing and found herself holding a racy pair of lace panties. She blushed and stuffed it in the suitcase.

When she glanced up, the woman was staring at her.

Pidge flinched and scooched backward. "I-I didn't mean to-"

"Sorry," the woman cut her off, "but have we met somewhere before?"

"Have we…" Pidge blinked. "What?"

"You just look so familiar, but I can't place it."

Pidge looked over the professional, beautiful woman in front of her. She definitely thought she would remember meeting someone like her before. "No, I don't think so."

The woman frowned. "How strange."

"Allura!" The man called to her. "I've got the others, but we're just gonna have to put that one in the back with us."

She sighed. "Alright." She stood up, taking the suitcase with her. "Well, it was nice to meet you this time at least. I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you."

And with that, she ran back to the limousine. Pidge watched her go, and watched the limo pull away to wherever it was heading. She sighed. Whoever that woman was, she had a place in the world. A destination.

Pidge sat back on her hands, not feeling the motivation to even stand right now. Her hand touched something, and she pulled it up to her face.

A picture frame. They must have missed it while they were packing. She turned it over to see the photo inside.

And saw her own face.

"Wha-" Pidge looked closer. It was undeniably her, back when she was maybe seven years old. And there with her, her old playmate Allura.

Allura!

That's what the man called her!

That's why she knew Pidge!

"Of course!" Pidge stuffed the picture frame into her shirt and mounted her bike. "Of course we know each other!"

She pedaled fast in the direction she saw the limo going. If she remembered correctly there was a spaceship dock in that direction. Which means the uniforms were, if not military, probably still ship uniforms.

"I need to talk to her!" Pidge rocketed forward, in the only direction she had. "I need to ask her about that day! Allura!

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name's Plaxum." The blue-haired woman held out her hand. She was young, but had a sweet expression.

"Takashi Shirogane." The man said, shaking her hand. "But my friends call me Shiro."

"Shiro, eh? I like the sound of that."

Plaxum looked him up and down. Handsome, muscular, and with a friendly smile. His charms were so strong, she almost didn't notice the prosthetic arm he shook her hand with.

He noticed her staring and looked apologetic. "I should probably say up front that I'm gay."

"Aw!" She pouted playfully. "Somehow, the best ones always are." She brightened. "Friends then. And maybe we can swap guy stories some time."

"I'd like that." He raised an eyebrow. "By the way, I could swear I've heard your voice before somewhere."

She blushed. "Well, unless you watch Magical Lychee I can't imagine where."

"You're a voice actress?" He chuckled. "That explains it. That's the magical girl show, right? I've seen the commercials for it."

She nodded. "Yep. I've played a few monsters-of-the-week, but I haven't had my big break yet."

"So what brings a voice actress to a warship?"

"The paycheck, mostly." Plaxum admitted, sitting down on her console. The bridge was just the two of them, the strange Prospector, and a few men he was having a heated discussion with in the corner so far. "Also my agent said it would be good for my career. I'm not really sure how, but she hasn't steered me wrong yet. Plus, I heard this is a good will mission. It'd be nice to be involved in something that helps people."

"I hear that." Shiro said, taking a proper seat at his station. He reached out to get a feel for the controls he would need as the helmsman.

"What about you?" She asked, looking him over again. "Aside from your handsome baby face, you look almost military. What brings you to a corporate ship?"

"Well, I'm not military." He said. A bit of sadness tinged his expression. "My last job was as a secretary, actually."

"Ooo~ corporate scandal? Don't tell me, you were the boss-man's secret mistress?"

He laughed louder. "Afraid not. It was just a normal job. After I was discharged, it was impossible to do what I actually wanted to do. I was just doing the best with the hand I was dealt."

"Discharged…" Plaxum glanced at his arm. "So you were military for a bit then?"

"I went to the academy. Never got the chance to see action." He stroked the helm with a serious look in his eye. "Never even left atmo."

"You want to fight?"

"I want to fly."

The door to the bridge wooshed open and Kolivan stepped in. Trailing behind him was a much smaller figure, a young girl, maybe twelve at the oldest, with long red hair. He led her gently down to a station on the bridge between Shiro and Plaxum, adjusting the seat before letting her sit down.

Shiro raised an eyebrow at Kolivan, but Plaxum's eyes stayed fixed on the girl as she put her hands to the console. Her skin erupted into lines of shifting light as she connected with the Nadesico's computer system. Plaxum jumped and Shiro looked back down at the girl, eyes wide.

Then the connection ended and the girl let out a breath. "Her name is Omoikane." She said, almost in a monotone. "She's excited about the mission."

"That's good to hear." Kolivan said, his voice gentle. "Do you think you're up for it?"

"I am." The girl nodded. "We have an understanding."

"Kolivan, what's this?" Shiro asked.

"And who's the adorable little girl?" Plaxum added.

"I'm not a little girl." She spoke up, looking at Plaxum for the first time. "I'm a young lady, and my name is Luka."

"She's the Nadesico's systems operator." Kolivan said. Shiro searched, but nothing in his voice or expression let on if he found anything odd about entrusting an important position like that to a preteen.

Shiro frowned, but looked back to Luka. "Well then, it looks like we'll be working together. I'm Shiro and this is Plaxum. If you need anything, feel free to ask."

"I will. Thank you."

"So, what brings a young lady like yourself to the Nadesico?" Plaxum tried.

"That's classified." Shut down.

Then Kolivan moved. He turned slightly and out a finger to his ear. "Excuse me."

"Need help with anything?" Shiro offered.

Kolivan shook his head. "No. You acquaint yourself with the bridge."

"Alright…"

As he moved, Kolivan shot a look to the Prospector, whose worried expression was a bit easier to read. The two of them left the bridge together.

Pidge crept silently through the halls of the warship, staying out of sight as best as she could. She only needed to find Allura and ask her a few questions. She tried to focus on that task, though what a warship like this was doing in a civilian dock roused her curiosity.

She saw a pair of uniformed men turning a corner and ducked into an open door.

She pressed an ear to the door and waited until she heard their footsteps pass by. Another two seconds for good measure, then she opened the door to check.

The fist in her stomach caught her by surprise.

Her body curled in on itself and she fell to the floor, wheezing. A large, muscular arm pressed itself to her back and pinned her to the floor.

"Who are you?" The owner of the arm demanded. "A spy? Or just a thief?"

"I'm not-'' Pidge struggled to get out. Another man with him, a thinner, red-headed man with an oversized mustache, knelt down in front of her. He shoved what looked like a pen into her mouth and she felt it do something to her tongue. "We'll soon find out."

He pressed the pen to a tablet as Pidge struggled, trying to get loose. "Hey! My genes are private!"

"Katie Holt, right?" The man asked. "Citizen of the Utopia Colony until…" His eyebrows furrowed as he read more. "How.. did you make it back to Earth?"

Pidge didn't answer, but she did stop wriggling. The mustache man earned points calling her "Katie". The larger man lifted up, pulling her to her feethe , but kept a grip on the scruff of Pidge's shirt.

She scowled, but looked down at her shoes. "I don't know. I was on Mars, and then I wasn't. Unconscious in a hospital, nothing but the clothes I'd had on my back. Even lost the necklace my mother gave me."

He nodded and stowed the tablet. He glanced down at her hand. "Are you a pilot?"

She covered it. "I'm not. I was a college student on Mars and a fry cook until an hour ago."

"And what were you doing on the Nadesico?" The larger man asked. It was hard to tell if he was trying to be threatening or if he just sounded like that.

"I need to talk to Allura, that's all." Pidge admitted. "I think she knows something about my past. It's… the only direction I have."

The larger man didn't seem to buy it, but the smaller man's expression softened. He looked at Pidge long and hard, chewing something over in his mind. "You say you're unemployed?"

"Yeah."

"Hrmm…" he twiddled his mustache. "You've had a rough time. A fry cook, huh? We could use cooks…"

Pidge looked up, curious now.

The larger man seemed just as uncertain. "What are you planning, Coran?"

"Tell you what, kid. How would you like to be employed as a cook aboard the Nadesico?"

"Really?" Her eyebrow raised.

"Why not? We've got the budget and the crewspace for it, and you don't exactly have anywhere else to go." He grinned. "And this way you'll have the chance to ask Allura whatever it is you need."

"Are you sure about this?" The larger man asked. "How do we know we can trust her."

"I appreciate the caution, Kolivan my man, but I'm a very good judge of character." He pressed Pidge's cheeks together with his hand and turned her face toward Kolivan's. "This is a face we can trust!"

The larger man seemed unconvinced, but he released his hold on Pidge's shirt.

"Now, I'll see about writing up the paperwork." Coran said, straightening up and pontificating with his hands. "You go ahead and familiarize yourself with the ship, we'll have your stuff brought inside and taken to some quarters you can use. I've got a good feeling about all of this!"

Sanda entered the bridge to take stock of all present. The helmsman, the communications officer, and the child Nergal selected to run Operations seemed in good spirits, though completely undisciplined. The other members of the crew that she had passed had run the gamut, from completely green to veteran, though leaning far more to the former than the latter. This was expected, however, and she didn't fault them.

What she did fault them for was whispering as soon as she walked onto the bridge. She was sure she heard one of them say something about "dropped a battleship on Mars." Apparently the shame of that would follow her even here.

She was about to say something when the door to the bridge opened again. Kolivan and Coran entered.

"Ah, Admiral, you're already here." Coran chirped. "Excellent, we're almost ready to get started."

"As you say, Mr. Prospector." Sanda answered. "Although I'm surprised to see the captain isn't here yet."

"She checked in at the gate." Kolivan pointed out.

"I'm sure she's on her way."

"What's the captain like?" Plaxum asked.

"A graduate of the United Earth University, undefeated in simulation battles small-scale and large. Truly an impressive figure." Coran answered.

A young man entered the bridge, looking winded slightly frazzled. He flinched, seeing the others' eyes on him, and straightened to attention. He saluted as the door opened a final time. "Captain on the bridge!"

A striking young woman, dressed in the captain's uniform, silver hair done up in a tight, professional bun, stepped onto the bridge. Her eyes were fixed forward and she took in the whole bridge at once. She made her way to the captain's stations in long strides, then addressed the whole room.

"Captain Allura Altea, reporting to the Nadesico. It's a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to working with you all."

Sanda looked the young woman over appraisingly. "Young" was the operative word, fresh out of the academy and in her early twenties at most, but her posture was impeccable, and she had an air of authority and command that Sanda had seen many veterans lack. Ultimately it would come down to her skills in the field, but Sanda was cautiously optimistic about this girl.

"Well then, Mr. Prospector," Sanda said, "I believe it's time you let us all know the purpose of Project Schiaparelli."

"Very well." Coran pressed a button on the communicator on his wrist and a screen appeared in front of every member of the crew with his face prominently displayed. He cleared his throat, then, "Attention crew of the Nadesico! By now, hopefully you've all settled in and are ready to get started. I apologize for the secrecy, but Nergal is worried that if the details of Project Schiaparelli got out too soon we'd never even make it to the sky. But the time for secrets is over. Our destination is Mars!"

He gave the crew a moment to absorb that information. Sounds of surprise from all over the ship could be heard even in the bridge. "That's right. The people of Mars have been left behind by the UEAF, and the Nadesico is tasked with discovering and rescuing any survivors who remain. This is a noble undertaking indeed, and Nergal thanks all of you for agreeing to be a part."

"Well said!" Allura spoke up from her station.

"Mars." Pidge said the word wistfully. It filled her with equal parts hope and dread. It was her home. She was born there, she grew up there, and for the past year she really thought she would never see it again. "I'm really going back…"

The video feed ended and Pidge looked back down. She was standing on the balcony above the hangar, leaning on the railing, looking at the equipment. Primarily the two Aestivalis machines. She'd read about them, but seeing them in person was something else.

The humanoid machines were around six and a half meters tall, more maneuverable than a Delphinium, and modular with different frames for different environmental or mission needs. They used a wireless ambient power system, meaning the Aestivalis didn't carry a robust power supply, instead relying on power from its mothership. While this limited its range severely, it allowed the machine to be much more lightweight, and prevented catastrophic power plant meltdown. A marvel of modern technology, much of the inner workings were still a secret.

A bright blue unit lay in its place in the hangar while a brilliant green one walked through the bay. Strode is more like it. The Aestivalis used the imaging system for humanoid motion, and whoever the pilot was seemed to be having fun.

"Oh yeah!" A masculine voice came out of the green Aestivalis' speakers. "Don't worry people of Mars. The Defender of the Universe is coming to help! Just you wait, Golion is on it's way!"

"What are you talking about?" The head engineer demanded in a thick accent. "That's no Golion, it's an Aestivalis! And who even are you anyway?!"

"My name?" The Aestivalis put a finger and a thumb to its chin. "You can call me the great hero of Earth: Lance McClain!"

Pidge chuckled. "Golion, huh? That's nostalgic."

"Someone run that name!" The engineer commanded somebody. "We're only supposed to have one pilot onboard for the next three days, and Griffin is on the bridge."

"Well duh!" The Aestivalis posed again. "When I found out I'd be piloting a real, actual robot I rushed to get here early! I mean what could be more awesome than this?"

Pidge had to admit, it was pretty awesome. She never cared for the military, but every kid grew up wanting to pilot a giant robot. Idly, it occurred to her that technically she could. She had the imaging system too.

But that daydream turned sour the second she pictured combat. Her heart started racing, her palms started sweating. She swallowed.

Then the thought was knocked from her mind.

"I've got a special treat for all of you!" The pilot of the green Aestivalis declared. "I'm gonna show you one of my killer finishing moves! Lance Super Upper!"

He twirled in place before launching a devastating uppercut into the air. The pose was as dynamic as it was completely unstable, and the force of the punch was too much. The engineer called for everyone to move out of the way.

All at once, the Aestivalis fell backward, collapsing on the floor with a loud bang.

The chest cavity of the robot opened, giving Pidge her first look at the pilot inside. He was a young man, maybe a year or two older than her, thin but with a fair amount of muscle emphasized by the skin tight flight suit, brown skin, and a big dopey grin spread wide as he laughed uproariously.

The engineer climbed the torso and grabbed the pilot by the wrist, pulling something up on a screen. "It says here that you are registered to the Nadesico as Leandro Serrano."

He stopped laughing. "That's just the boring name my parents gave me." He stood up tall, fists on his hips. "Lance McClain is the name of my soul."

Pidge nodded. Lance it was, then.

Then Lance collapsed with a pitiful sound.

"What. What is going on now?" The engineer demanded.

Lance held his leg, fighting back tears. "I think I might have actually hurt myself. Can you guys take me to the medical wing?"

The engineer sighed and motioned for two mechanics to help him extricate the injured pilot.

As they supported him out of the hangar, Lance turned back, looking to Pidge up on the balcony. "Hey, girl! I left my treasure in the Golion. Can you get it for me?"

"Treasure?" Pidge looked dubiously at the prone mecha.

"Yeah, it's super important! Just bring it to the infirmary, thanks!"

And then he was gone.

Pidge shrugged and made her way to the elevator platform, taking it down to the bay. She took a second to stop and stare at the Aestivalis. Even laying on the ground, it was impressive. She ran a hand along its hull before climbing up to get into the cockpit.

Sitting in the seat was a toy. A Golion action figure. It looked to be in good condition, though it was one of the early ones where the five lion robots were molded into place and couldn't detach. That made it less fragile, for sure.

She lifted it into her hand. "This is his treasure? Just how old is that guy?"

The ground shook hard and Pidge fell forward, smacking her face into the cockpit's seat. An alarm blared.

Pidge pushed herself up and looked around, while an announcement came over the loudspeaker. "Attention all crew. Our ground forces have engaged enemy tactical weapons. All bridge personnel to the combat command station. Repeat-"

Pidge clenched her teeth. "They're here. Those lizards are here!"

There was fear and uncertainty on the bridge.

"Why are they attacking a civilian dock?"

"Isn't it obvious? They're targeting the Nadesico."

"We should fire back. This is a warship, isn't it?"

"If we do that we'll catch our own people in the crossfire!"

Sanda turned to Allura. "Captain. Your orders?"

Captain Allura Altea stood tall at her station, a commanding figure by any estimation. If she felt any fear or apprehension, it didn't show. "We'll launch through the underwater dock into the ocean. We'll emerge behind the enemy and take them out from there."

"You're going to need a decoy." James said. "I'll launch in my Aestivalis and draw the enemy inland. That should give you time to finish launch preparations, and get our forces clear of any crossfire."

"We already have a decoy launching." Luka spoke up. "A robot is ascending on the launch elevator."

"Is it Serrano?" Plaxum asked.

"It most certainly is not!" Lance said, stepping onto the bridge. His leg was now in a cast but, without crutches, he still had a pair of mechanics supporting him.

"Then who-"

"Contact the pilot now." Sanda ordered.

Plaxum pulled them up onscreen.

The girl in the Aestivalis was muttering something to herself with a wild look in her eye. She wasn't wearing a uniform or a flight suit, and her shirt pocket had some kind of action figure sticking out of it.

Lance screamed. "She has my Golion!"

"Pilot, identify yourself." Sanda barked. "What is your name and rank?"

She jumped, snapped back to reality. "Uh, Katie Holt. Fry cook."

Allura's brow furrowed.

"What? What's a fry cook doing in an Aestivalis?" James looked closer. "Wait, Allura, isn't that the girl from before?"

"Holt…" The name was so familiar. She grinned. "Pidge. It's Pidge!"

The girl reacted to the name. "Allura! You're on the bridge?"

"It's been so long, Pidge!" Allura squealed like a little girl. "Oh, and you're a girl now? That's wonderful! Why did you pretend not to know me? You aren't still shy, are you?"

"Hold on a second!" Pidge fired back. "What are you doing there?"

"Well, she is the captain of the Nadesico." Coran offered.

"She's what?!"

"That's right! Allura Altea, captain of the Nadesico! V!" Allura held out a V-for-victory hand sign.

Sanda felt her confidence in the captain melting away.

James took a step toward the captain. "Allura, hold on. Who's Pidge?"

"She's my knight in shining armor, obviously!" Allura grinned wide. "Whenever I'm in trouble she rushes to my side."

"Wait a minute, dammit!" Pidge shouted.

"Oh, Pidge. I can't ask you to risk your life as a decoy-"

"What's this about a decoy?!"

"-But I know the words of a passionate woman can't possibly sway your heart once you're set on something-"

"I mean, they might!"

"-I understand. I'll trust you with the fate of the Nadesico and her crew. Just…" Allura wiped a tear from her eye. "Just promise me you'll come back alive."

"Will you just let me-"

"Elevator nearing the surface." Luka announced.

"Contact in five seconds." Plaxum added.

"Gimme back my Golion!" Lance demanded.

"All of you shut up!!"

The elevator reached the surface with a click. Pidge was surrounded. Through her screens she saw what felt like a hundred of the machines, though the radar - which called these ground units "grasshoppers" - listed only forty.

"Keep them occupied for ten minutes." Kolivan's voice came over briefly.

Pidge felt her hand tremble as she gripped the controls. She pushed the throttle to maximum, switching from humanoid locomotion to wheeled movement using the caterpillar tracks on the feet. She charged straight at the machines, then engaged the Aestivalis' jump jets to launch her up and over them, rocketing down the highway.

Sure enough, the things followed her.

"Ten minutes?!" She veered hard to the left, trying to shake them. No dice. "How am I supposed to keep running for ten minutes?"

She felt machine gun fire rattle the Aestivalis from behind and grit her teeth. She started drifting side to side and found it helped a little bit. Still, a screen showed damage to the mecha, while another showed the nine and a half minutes still remaining.

"Is she gonna be okay out there?" Plaxum watched the green triangle on the combat display as it avoided a veritable swarm of red dots.

"She's actually doing quite well, considering." Coran offered. "We couldn't ask for a better decoy."

Plaxum was skeptical, considering all the shouting the pilot was doing.

Allura's expression hardened. Under her breath she swore, "I won't let you die." Louder, she addressed the crew. "Luka, begin launch procedures. Plaxum, have the dock flood bay fifteen. Takashi, bring us out."

"Yes ma'am!"

Another impact rocked Pidge from behind. Still seven minutes to go. She cussed loudly and swerved around. "Eat my entire ass you alien scum!" She squeezed something that felt like a trigger.

The Aestivalis fired off its fist like a rocket. The mechanical hand slammed through one of the grasshoppers, causing it to explode. Then, a wire between the upper arm and the forearm retracted, pulling the arm back into place.

Pidge blinked.

Then grinned. "Holy crap that was so cool! Just like on Golion!" She caught another two in her sights squeezed, firing both fists this time and taking out two more grasshoppers.

A number of red machines flew down from the sky. They looked less biological, more like airplanes with insect legs. Each picked up a grasshopper and carried it up into the sky.

Pidge engaged the jump jets and took another out with the wired fist. She chuckled. "I'm pretty good at this, actually. If I had one of these back on Mars-"

Honey's face flashed in her mind. She scowled.

Would it have mattered? The fact is she had been fighting off one of these jovian lizard things and it hadn't made a difference. Honey and her mother - and countless other people besides - still died.

Even if the Aestivalis would have made a difference, it was too late for that anyway. Pidge couldn't go back in time. They were dead. There was nothing she could do about that.

An alarm snapped her back to the present. Apparently the grasshoppers weren't only equipped with machine guns, they had missiles too. Scores of them. And those missiles were coming toward her fast.

Pidge jerked out of the way, dodging just in time as more missiles than she could count impacted the street behind her and exploded in smoke and plasma.

She kicked the throttle back up to full, though she had completely lost track of where she was and which direction she was facing.

She leapt.

And went right over a cliff.

She closed her eyes and screamed as her Aestivalis fell uselessly through the air toward the roiling sea below.

She expected the impact to be hard. She didn't expect it to be solid.

She opened her eyes.

Rising from the sea, the Nadesico lifted into the air in all its shining glory. Three hundred meters long, one hundred and fifty meters wide, and just over one hundred meters tall, the Nadesico gleamed in shining white and silver. And Pidge, her Aestivalis only a little worse for wear, stood on top.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Allura said, appearing on a screen.

Pidge checked the countdown. "What are you talking about? I still have four minutes left."

Within the Nadesico, standing on the bridge, Allura grinned. "I rushed it for your sake!" Then she looked down. "Luka, status."

"Eighty percent of enemy craft are within our firing range."

"Any friendlies?"

"None."

"Then prepare to fire."

The two forward nacelles of the Nadesico raised slightly and split apart. Between them, energy gathered in the muzzle of the warship's primary offensive weapon.

"Gravity blast ready." Luka confirmed. "On your order."

"Fire."

The wave of gravity distortion fired from the Nadesico was unlike anything Pidge had ever seen or even read about before. Visually she could make out nothing useful, but the readouts on her Aestivalis' display showed a massive energy spike. Then, every machine within that wave exploded at once.

Pidge was still staring, awestruck at the power of the battleship she found herself standing on, when she saw the remaining jovian forces turn tail and take off into the sky. They were retreating.

Plaxum let out a sigh of relief. "We did it. That was lucky, wasn't it?"

"Luck had nothing to do with it." A stern voice chastised her.

She looked back to see Admiral Sanda's eyes on her.

"It appears our captain is as capable as I was told. We should recognize her acheiv-"

"Pidge!" Allura shouted to the cook-turned-pilot visible on the viewscreen. "You were amazing! Absolutely incredible!"

"Yeah, thanks." Pidge responded. "Listen-"

"I can't believe we're together again after all this time. It must be destiny! Fate!"

"No, no it's not. I just came to ask you-"

"Ask me? Of course my answer is yes!"

"No- what?"

"Oh, but we're moving too fast. We haven't even started dating yet."

"What?!"

Plaxum watched Sanda's expression sour as the nonsensical back-and-forth between the two continued. Plaxum had never seen a soul die in person before.

"Well," She tried, "the captain is certainly three dimensional."

"It won't be a boring trip at least." Shiro agreed.

Luka frowned. "She's an idiot."


End file.
